Missing Tillamook cheese truck, trailer found in rural area of Tuolumne County

JAMESTOWN — Early Sunday morning, the California Highway Patrol came across the Tillamook cheese truck and trailer stolen about 24 hours earlier from a hotel parking lot in Manteca. It was burning at the time in a rural area of Tuolumne County.

JAMESTOWN — Early Sunday morning, the California Highway Patrol came across the Tillamook cheese truck and trailer stolen about 24 hours earlier from a hotel parking lot in Manteca. It was burning at the time in a rural area of Tuolumne County.

The CHP further reported that three Volkswagen microbuses painted orange and white with the Tillamook logo on their sides, also stolen from Manteca early Saturday morning, remain missing. Each restored microbus is valued at $100,000, according to authorities, and Oregon-based Tillamook is offering a $10,000 reward for their safe recovery.

At the time of the theft sometime between 12:30 and 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the 1959, 1964 and 1966 model-year microbuses were inside the trailer parked in the parking lot of the Hampton Inn in the 1400 block of Bass Pro Drive, according to Manteca police.

The trailer was being towed by a specially painted orange Ford F350. That truck and the empty trailer were discovered abandoned and burning along New Peoria Flat Road near O’Byrnes Ferry Road, according to the CHP Sonora area office.

Prior to that discovery, the truck and trailer had been spotted near Copperopolis Town Square earlier in the day.

Anyone who can assist authorities with their investigation is asked to contact the Manteca Police Department at (209) 456-8101 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 823-4636.